Sweden concluded their 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup campaign on a winning note at Suncorp Stadium on 19 August, seeing off Australia 2-0 in front of 49,461 fans to clinch third place in the tournament for a record fourth time, following on from their successes in 1991, 2011 and 2019 - they were also runners-up in 2003. Defences dominated the first twenty minutes of the contest, after Sweden gave Australia a first minute scare when Kosovare Asllani sent Stina Blackstenius surging through the inside right channel, from where she unleashed a low drive which Mackenzie Arnold parried into the goalmouth. "The Matildas", urged on by the partisan crowd, cleared their lines on this occasion, and created their first opportunity in the eighteenth minute, concerted pressure culminating in Sam Kerr picking out Caitlin Foord on the left, from where she sent a cross zooming across the goalmouth. Sweden cleared their lines following this threat, but came under more Australian pressure five minutes later. Mary Fowler and Katrina Gorry combined with Foord on the right, with the winger supported by the overlapping run of Ellie Carpenter. The fullback's deep cross arced beyond the far post to Hayley Raso, who fired a shot past the covering defender, only to see Zecira Musovic turn the ball round the post. The Australians weren't able to capitalise on the resulting corner. Back came Sweden, a 26th minute raid in which Filippa Angeldal sent Blackstenius steaming into the penalty area, where she was clipped by Clare Hunt as she played the ball outside her to Asllani. Sweden's captain delivered a pinpoint cross which Fridolina Rolfo met with a bullet header from six yards, the ball crashing against the crossbar. Australia survived that scare, but the Video Assistant Referee was having a look at the incident involving Hunt and Blackstenius … The evidence was damning, and upon seeing it, Welsh referee Cheryl Foster promptly awarded a penalty, from which Rolfo rifled the ball beyond Arnold's despairing dive - 1-0 Sweden after half-an-hour's play. "The Matildas" were frustrated by the circumstances surrounding the goal, believing that Hunt had no intention of fouling Blackstenius and that it was an innocuous foul which should have seen play carry on, as it had done in real time. But the decision had been made and the goal awarded - in other words, "Harden up and get on with it!" Cue a string of niggly fouls, and on this score, Sweden is not a team to take on - they give as good as they get and then some! There's a steely resolve behind those angelic smiles and all-round attractiveness, and when push comes to shove, they certainly don't hide. Thus it was that Australia found themselves on the back foot late in the half repelling waves of Swedish attacks. Steph Catley's vital intervention prevented Blackstenius from getting in on the right in the 39th minute, while sixty seconds later, Arnold grabbed an Asllani volley after a lovely move down the left featuring Rolfo, the outstanding Elin Rubensson - she had a massive game - and the overlapping Jonna Andersson. Sweden next attacked down the right, Johanna Kaneryd linking with Angeldal, whose rasping twenty yard drive dipped after it had cleared the crossbar. Australia retorted through Gorry, whose angled twenty-five yarder reared up in front of Musovic, the 'keeper saving at the second attempt. Downfield the ball went once more, Clare Polkinghorne latching onto it and playing a no-look pass back towards Arnold, only to look and see Blackstenius appearing on the scene. The striker was forced away from goal by the approaching goalkeeper - a real let-off for "The Matildas", as a second goal at this stage would leave them with a mountain to climb in the second spell. There was still time for Sweden to score a second goal before the interval, and they very nearly did. An Asllani free-kick wasn't cleared, prompting Angeldal to unleash a drive through the crowded goalmouth which Arnold did brilliantly well even to see, let alone save.

Angeldal then sent Blackstenius racing through once more, but the covering figure of Hunt forced the striker to fire past the near post on this occasion. Back came Australia from the resulting goal kick, a rare sighting of Kerr in attack mode as she unleashed a piledriver which Musovic could only parry. Asllani won the race to clear the loose ball, but collided with Foord a split-second later, leaving both players nursing bruises. Indeed, the Matilda was forced to wear a heavy head bandage throughout the second spell as she took the brunt of the collision on her left eyebrow, which swiftly blew up - 'twas a lovely egg which formed over her left eye in the shadows of the half-time whistle. Australia needed to start the half well, and Carpenter led the charge in the 48th minute. Kerr's hesitance to attack the fullback's cross afforded Ilestedt time to avert the danger, the last time "The Matildas" would threaten the Swedish goal for over twenty minutes, by which time the contest was effectively out of their reach. After Asllani had seen a shot blocked by Hunt, Rubensson having caught Foord in possession in the middle of the park before releasing her captain on a marauding run, Sweden doubled their advantage in superb fashion in the 62nd minute, silencing the stadium in doing so as "Matildas" fans were urging their charges on following the introduction of two substitutes. Rubensson won the ball halfway inside Sweden's half and once more sent Asllani on a rampaging run downfield. She timed her pass to allow Blackstenius to evade the offside trap, only for Hunt to again thwart her progress. But Asllani was making an angled run up in support to the striker's left, and a measured pass was duly thumped into the corner of the net by the Swedish captain from the edge of the penalty area - 2-0. Even with the best will in the world, there was no way back for Australia from this, given the stranglehold Sweden was applying to the co-host's play - their pressing was relentless, and scoring opportunities for Australia were at a premium as a result. If anything, more goals from the Swedes seemed likely, with another superbly timed tackle from Catley preventing Kaneryd from capitalising on a Blackstenius pass in the 65th minute, before Arnold denied the Swedish attacking spearhead in a one-on-one situation sixty seconds later. Twenty minutes from time, "The Matildas" had a great chance to halve the deficit via a free-kick, one of many they earned through Sweden's stifling tactics in the remainder of the match. This was the only occasion when they didn't waste the opportunity, however, Kyra Cooney-Cross' delivery to the far post being headed inside by Hunt for Polkinghorne, whose stabbed shot from six yards was directed straight at Musovic. Swedish substitute Lina Hurtig just failed to get on the end of a Kaneryd cross four minutes later, after which the third place-getting specialists shut up shop and established an impenetrable "Blagult" wall upon which Australia made no impression in the time remaining. It was a disappointing way for the co-hosts to conclude their campaign, one which has seen them capture the attention and imagination of the continent like never before - their semi-final was the most watched television programme in Australia, ever! But Sweden were simply too good on the day, and a handful of this squad will retire from the game in the next few years with three bronze FIFA Women's World Cup medals to their name - not an achievement to be sniffed at, and which reflects well on the Swedes' consistency at this quadrennial celebration of all that is great about the women's game. Sweden:     Musovic; Bjorn, Ilestedt, Eriksson, Andersson; Angeldal, Asllani (Hurtig, 67 (booked, 90)), Rubensson (booked, 88); Kaneryd (Sembrandt, 89), Blackstenius (Blomqvist, 67), Rolfo Australia:     Arnold; Carpenter (Nevin, 74), Hunt, Polkinghorne (Chidiac, 74), Catley; Raso (Vine, 60), Gorry (booked, 45 (Van Egmond, 60)), Cooney-Cross, Foord; Kerr, Fowler Referee:     Cheryl Foster (Wales)